Caster.



H. J. HORWICH.

, GASTEB.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 15,1909.

982,820, Patented Jan. 31, 1.911.

UNITED STATEQ :IENRY J. IIQRWICH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOI MAIN, INCORPORATED, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

r a rum? OFFICE.

S, ASSIG N OR 'IO DAVIS, I-IORWICH & STEIN- (EASTER.

Specification of I etter P n Patented Jan. 31', 1911.

Application filed October 15, 1909.. Serial No. 522,856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIENRY J. IIORWICH, a citizen of the' United States, residing at Chicago. in the county of Cook. state of Illinois. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in casters. and particularly to that type of casters in. which is employed a spring frame that is inserted in the hollow leg or standard of a piece of furniture, as for example the cylindrical hollow leg of a metal bed. stead.

The objects of the invention are to pro vide an improved construction of spring frame that can be easily inserted into a hollow leg or standard and that whenfully inserted will frictionally engage the leg or standard: to provide means for preventing the said spring framefrom yielding laterally or upwardly when strain is imposed upon the device by moving the article of furniture from one position to another on us casters: to provide a construction render- .lng it unnecessary toequip the caster with the ordinary long pintlc with which casters of this general type are ordii' arily provided: and to improve generally the construction and operation of devices of this character. I

' That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the claims. I

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of my improved caster; and showing also in section a portion ofa hollow furniture leg or standard with which the caster is in engagement. Fig; 2 is a" cross-section taken. at line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

and. Fig. 3 a plan iew; on a reduced scale. of the blank from which the spring frame is formed. 0

Referring to the drawings alindicates a hollow leg or standardi las for example,

the '.cylindrical leg or standard of an ordinary metal bedstead.

5 indicates an ordinary caster wheel, journaled as usual between a pair of rigid arms,

6,-that areconnectedgtogether at. their up ,per ends by a hoidzontalportion usual formed integral: with said arms. .7 ind1-' cates a stud or short pintle projecting up wardg from thefcentral part Ofthe said connecting horizontal portion of the arms and secured in place in any desired manner.

8 indicates a plate mounted on the stud T and of a size =to adapt it. to support, adjacent to its edge, the lower end of the hollow leg or standard A. This plate in the form of construction shown is raised considerably above its edge portion and I therefore provide a number of washers 9 beneath it-whirl1 of course would not be needed if the plate were made flat.

10 indicates a metal frame formed, as shown. from a single piece of material, the blank as cut for the formation of the frame being clearly shown in Fig. 3. By the use of asuitable die. or other means, this, blank is operated upon to produce the frame shown in the other figures of the drawing and comprising, as there shown four downwardly-directed arms 11 having inwardlyturned ends 12. in which imvardly-turued end pieces are formed slots 13. These slots are best shown in the representation of the blank of Fig. 3 where they are indicated by '1 Ili und in the same-figure ll indicates the parts that in the compleled frame constitute the tlownwartllyrxtvnding arms 11, and 12* the parts that constitute the inwardly-tinned end portions .12. In the upper end of the frame is a hole 14: (indicatcdin the VlQW of the blank by 14?) provision in that it more readily permits the proper drawing of the metal when the blank is subjected to the action of the form- 'ing die or other tool, and consequently aids in producin a rounded surface at the up per end of the frame. Having the upper end so rounded renders it. much easier to insert the frame into a socket or hollow leg.

The material of which the frame is formed is to be of spring metal and so formed that the arms will have a tendency to press outwardly against the wall'of the tionally hold the frame as a whole in place.

Theinturned end portions 12 of the arms 11 lie one above another, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, with the stud 7 passing through their respective slots 13. 15 indicates a disk haying a central "aperture through which the said stud alsov extends. This disk lies upon the uppermost one of the inturned slot ted end portions 12 and after having been stamped out so that its central portion is hollow leg or standard and thereby; Erie which. while not an essential, is a desirable of furniture is rolled 7 that PIOJGClCS above the disk is to be upset as shown orothcrwise provided with a head or enlargement that will serve to preventthe disk from being forced upward,but which of course is not-to cause the disk to hear so firmly upon the inturned end 12 that it rests upon, as to prevent a free inward movement of the several inturned ends when the frame is being inserted into-a leg or standard or prevent a correspondingly free, outward movementto obtain the required frictional contact of the arms 11 with the leg or standard. As clearly shown in the drawings this disk is best made of a diameter that will cause its edge to touch, or nearly touch, the inner faces of the arms 11 when the frame is in position within a hollow leg or standard. This disk being of stifier or more rigid material than that em-- ployed in the construction of the spring frame and being held firmly against the upper one of the inturned ends 12 and fitting snugly between the various'arms 11 acts to prevent any distortion or yielding of the spring arms and their said inturned ends, as would be apt to he the case if such disk were not provided, whenever the articlc of furniture to which the caster is attached is'inoved from place to place. It therefore acts as a lock to at all times hold the-spring frame. as a whole in proper position and effectually counteracts all ordinary strain caused by such moving of the piece of furniture. The heavier the article of furniture the greater is the tendency to a side strain or twisting whenever such piece around on its casters, but with. the disk provided, as shown, this tendency is wholly overcome andthe frame as a whole is at all times maintained inproper position. and in perfect Working conor pintle adapted to bear pintle, of a metal frame -rality of arms adaptedto frict'io'nally en-i .stud, of a metal That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The combination with a cas'terwheel, arms in which said Wheel is rotatably mounted, an upwardly-projecting stud or pintle connected with said arms, and a furniture-leg support mounted on said stud or pintle, of a metal frame comprising a plurality of arms adapted 'to frictionally v engage the wall of a hollow furniture-leg andhaving'inturned slotted lower end portions through the slots in which said studor pintle projects, and means on said stud one of said inturned ends.

2. The combination with arms in which said wheel pint-1e connected with said arms, and-a furniture-leg support mounted on compris ng a pluthewallof a hollow furniture-leg and having inturned slotted lower end portions through the slots in which said stud or 'pintle projects,

and a disk secured upon said stud or pintle over saidinturned ends,

3. The "combination with a caster-wheel, arms in which a furniture-leg.

rality of arms adapted to frictionally en-j gage the wall of having inturned slotted lower through the slots in which said stud projeots, said studhaving an. enlarged head portion over and in close proximity to the upper one of said inturned end portions.

HENRY .T. HORWICI-L lVit-nesses: Y, 1

W. T. HUNN, ltunoLrn 011mm:-

against the upper a caster-wheel, is rotatably mounted, an upwardly-projecting stud or said wheel is rotat-ablyf mounted, an upwardly-projecting stud,- and; support mounted on said.

frame comprising a plus said stud or: I

ahollow furniture-leg and i end. portions V 

